Thursday, May 31, 2012

Henrik Lundqvist Page Six Sighting






Losing in the playoffs didn’t stop the New York Rangers from celebrating hard over the weekend. On Friday night, after being eliminated by the New Jersey Devils, Henrik Lundqvist, Brandon Dubinsky, Stu Bickel and Mats Zuccarello were spotted partying at 1Oak until late. The following night, Lundqvist and his group joined the rest of their teammates for dinner at Meatpacking District eatery Catch. The crew, which also included Brian Boyle, Brad Richards, Brandon Prust, Michael Del Zotto, Steve Eminger, Ryan McDonagh and Jeff Woywitka, “toasted with beers in hand” and gave each other shout-outs. But it didn’t stop there. They then headed to Catch Roof for more drinks, then around the corner to club SL, where they continued partying until the early hours. “It looked as if they’d won the championship,” said one witness. Another spy said, “They worked hard and deserve a beer to celebrate their achievement.” Fellow clubgoers seemed to agree, with many congratulating the team on their season.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/beaten_rangers_live_it_up_ViPwn7OmX337FwAlu3Cw8M#ixzz1wPlbPKiR

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Henrik Stops For Fan on Break-Up Day



@IceChap waited outside the Rangers practice facility today to meet some players on break-up day. He met Henrik and said he was very nice, he signed autographs, shook his hand and took a picture with his kids.
Here are some photos he posted on Twitter of Henrik in the Lambo:




Free Worldwide Shipping on Lundqvist Shirts Until 12AM Tomorrow



ATTENTION EVERYONE:
Use code WORLDWIDE  when checking out for free shipping with any purchase of the "Keep Calm We Have Lundqvist" and "Most Interesting Goalie of the World" shirts on Skreened.com until tomorrow night  at 12AM.  Anyone in Sweden who has wanted a shirt but held out due to shipping now is your chance to get them!


http://skreened.com/hlundqvistblog/keep-calm-we-have-lundqvist

http://skreened.com/hlundqvistblog/the-most-interesting-goalie-in-the-world

Monday, May 21, 2012

Henrik Lundqvist Set to Join Elite Company


Henrik Lundqvist gets plenty of love from hockey fans and the media, and rightfully so – he’s a great goaltender who consistently puts up great numbers, and he happens to be a remarkly humble guy. Also, apparently folks think he’s kinda handsome.


But he doesn’t really get that much love. He wasn’t the goaltending story in round one, as the surprising Craig Anderson played lights out and caught us all off-guard. He wasn’t the goaltending story in round two when rookie Braden Holtby caught lightning in a bottle and helped carry the Caps through 14 playoff games. And he’s not really the goaltending story in round three, with 40-year old legend Marty Brodeur finding the fountain of youth and playing great for the Devils.
He’s very well-respected, of course, but possibly not enough. We might be watching an historic season from the Swedish netminder.


He’s been nominated for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the League’s best goalie, and the Hart Trophy, awarded to the League’s most valuable player. Being that he’s the only goalie nominated for the Hart, I think it’s safe to say he’s going to win the Vezina.
But further, he’s the best player – by miles right now – on a team that could very well win the Stanley Cup, putting him as a favourite for the Conn Smythe Trophy (awarded to the MVP of playoffs). He has 1.57 goals-against-average, a .947 save percentage, and has stopped the second-most shots of anyone in playoffs (to Mike Smith, who sees a billion a night). If the Rangers find a way to get it done (six wins to go), he’d almost certainly be handed the prize.
Looking back at NHL history, only three players have ever won both the Conn Smythe and the Hart Trophy in the same season. It’s only been done four times total.
1970: Bobby Orr
1972: Bobby Orr
1977: Guy LaFleur
1985: Wayne Gretzky
How’s that for top-shelf company? Two of the game’s best players ever, and a guy who might be in the top-10. He could make the claim to that accomplishment solo.
Further, no goaltender has ever won the Vezina, Hart and Conn Smythe in a single season.
Henrik Lundqvist is in his prime, as far as goalies go (older prime than skaters). He’s a modest interview, polite and respectful to everyone, and always defers to his teammates when lauded with praise. It keeps him from getting caught up in Bryzgalov-like chaos, and keeps him out of most headlines. He’s rarely out of position, so he rarely has to make exceptional saves (though he can’t be faulted for having to make one on the Kovalchuk breakaway on Saturday). For a rich, handsome New York athlete, it’s amazing there’s not a Jeremy Lin-like buzz around this guy.
We could be watching one of the greatest seasons an NHLer has ever had. Consistency ain’t sexy (well, maybe it is in his case), so it’s time to give the guy his just due. Something special is going on in New York.





http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2012/05/21/henrik-lundqvists-season-could-put-him-in-uber-elite-company/

Saturday, May 19, 2012

It's Good To Be King




The caption says it all.

 Thank you to reader Thomas for submitting this image to the blog! 

Henrik Lundqvist Post-Game Video Interview






Henrik Lundqvist turned aside all 36 shots faced to post his league-leading, third shutout of the playoffs, and second shutout in the series. He improved to 25-27 overall in the playoffs, including an 11-15 mark on the road. Lundqvist became the first Rangers goaltender to post multiple shutouts in a single playoff series since Mike Richter registered two shutouts against New Jersey in their 1997 Conference Semifinals series. The shutout was the sixth of his career, moving him past Ed Giacomin and John Ross Roach into third on the Rangers’ all-time list, and he is now tied for third on the Rangers’ single season shutouts list.
Lundqvist has now recorded 30+ saves in 15 career playoff contests, posting a record of 8-7 with a 1.60 goals against average, .951 save percentage and three shutouts.



Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Henrik Lundqvist Understands Himself

This article was written during round two of the playoffs and I had wanted to post it sooner but never got around to it until now.



WASHINGTON — At a different stage of his career, Henrik Lundqvist probably wouldn’t have been able to push hockey aside the day after a draining triple-overtime victory and thus re-energize himself for the next game, the way he did Thursday in the wake of the Rangers' triple-overtime Game 3 victory against the Capitals that ended at 12:15 that morning.
But then, that would have been at a different stage of the goaltender’s life.
“I’m able to handle things like this better because I think I’ve found a better balance in my life over the last couple of years,” Lundqvist told The Post following Friday’s practice. “Even this year, over the regular season I could feel the difference in the way I was able to put the game out of mind on the off-days.


“I’m a pretty intense guy when it comes to preparation, and with the amount of mental energy that goes into playing, I needed to be able to have a different approach away from the rink, and that took some time for me.
“It’s me maturing in my life as much as in my career,” the 30-year-old said. “As a person, I’m more relaxed.”
The Rangers did the best they could to stretch their legs and empty their minds of hockey on Thursday following the classic 2-1 victory that ended with Marian Gaborik’s goal at 14:41 of the third OT.
“It’s both hockey and how I am as a person that allows me to be comfortable and have that focus,” said Lundqvist, who got away from it on Thursday by going to the movies and taking a stroll around the nation’s capital.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned it’s not about proving things to people, it’s about challenging yourself, .
“Going into this year, Benny told me that 30 is a good age for a goaltender, because you understand the game,” Lundqvist said, referring to goaltending coach Benoit Allaire.“But I also understand myself.”
Thirty may be a good age for a goaltender, but it’s always good to be the King.




Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/cooler_king_axzEQqYE0jc0vy4fU8IdKM#ixzz1v0lYJY5R




Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Lundsanity's No Passing Fad



"LINQVIST!" may have been the nadir.


It was an innocent gesture—a mid-February advertisement by the MSG Network, promoting a Rangers hockey game and spoofing the breathless mania over Henrik Lundqvist's Madison Square Garden neighbor, Knicks point guard and underdog sensation Jeremy Lin.


Cute, right? But also a little desperate.


Because what Henrik Lundqvist built in New York was the exact opposite of a wild overnight craze. He is 30 now. He has played here for seven seasons, developing a reputation for consistency and unfussy brilliance. Even when the Rangers staggered and underachieved, there was always Henrik. Confident, steady, reliable.


He was not "Lundsanity." He was utterly sane.


He is in his moment now. It's not as if Lundqvist has been deprived of accolades—a breakout star as a rookie, he's been a premier NHL goaltender for some time, a three-time All-Star who won an Olympic gold medal with Sweden in 2006. He has an eight-figure contract. The fashion magazines have celebrated his rugged handsomeness. He is not unknown.


The 2011-12 regular season may have been Lundqvist's finest. Through 62 starts he finished with a goals-against average of 1.97. He has won at least 30 games in his first seven seasons, a record to start a career. Once more he is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie, and a Hart Trophy MVP candidate, as well. The Journal's Mike Sielski argued persuasively this winter that Lundqvist—not Eli Manning, not Darrelle Revis, not any Yankee—may be the best athlete in New York.


But nothing shapes and sharpens a pro athlete's career like the postseason, and Lundqvist is thriving. He has already steered the Rangers through consecutive Game 7 wins over Ottawa and Washington, the deepest playoff run of his career. On Monday night, in a loud reprise of the famous Rangers-Devils 1994 conference final, he shut out New Jersey 3-0 in Game 1.


It was the fifth shutout of Lundqvist's playoff life, a sweet start to a delicious conflict. Even better, Lundqvist has a legendary foil across the ice: Martin Brodeur, the 40-year-old certain Hall of Famer and another unpretentious hockey star whose greatness has been swamped in a distracted sports metropolis.


The Rangers have a grip on New York now. It was a little bizarre this winter and spring, as they soared toward the best record in the conference, only to watch the ragged and volatile Knicks take all the headlines with their various, overdramatic ascensions and implosions. What did the Rangers have to do? Have a coach run screaming out of town? Punch a fire extinguisher?


All they needed was to keep winning. The Knicks are gone now, leaving a trail of broken glass in Miami. The Yankees and Mets are still in their nascent stages. Not even Tebow can eclipse Rangers-Devils.


But attention is not what these Rangers are about. After repeated failures with fancy, boldface signings, this is a low-profile team purposefully constructed to be a team. Lundqvist is as close as the roster gets to a celebrity. But he is not a heat-seeker. This is not 1994, with the magnetic Mark Messier driving the blue shirts toward the Stanley Cup.


Linsanity, meanwhile, is a foggy memory. The thrilling point guard was hurt in late March and missed the end of the season and the playoffs. Lin's future in New York is murky. The number 17 T-shirts, so stylish in mid-winter, are remaindered at half-price.


"Lundsanity" survives, but there's nothing trendy about it. New York may be just waking up, but Henrik Lundqvist is doing what Henrik Lundqvist does. This is not a short-lived phenomenon. The 15th minute has come and gone. The number 30 jersey is full price. This feels here to stay.










http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304192704577406443049108470.html


John McEnroe Talks Lundqvist





Tennis legend John McEnroe, most identified with his Knicks fandom, has been a closet Rangers rooter since the 1970’s and he’s finally coming out now because of his new friendship with goalie Henrik Lundqvist.
Lundqvist, who faced the Devils last night in Game 1 of the conference finals, and his kids play tennis at McEnroe’s tennis academy on Randall’s Island. The King is also in McEnroe’s band as a blues guitarist.
McEnroe predicted another Rangers’ Stanley Cup yesterday.
“We’re becoming friends,’’ McEnroe said on a conference call to promote his World TeamTennis match July 19 versus Andre Agassi at Sporttime Stadium on Randall’s Island. “He’s an incredible athlete [on the tennis court]. I was surprised, but I shouldn’t be because I watched him as a goalie and the guy’s unbelievable and he’s the MVP of the league.’’


McEnroe has enjoyed rallying with the Swede.
“He’s probably the best player I’ve played who is not a ‘tennis player’,’’ McEnroe said. “He’s unbelievably quick and balanced on the court. I hate to admit he’s even a better guitar player than me. But at one stage, he was at the net, I hit a few balls to him and I was pitter-pattering around figuring these guys don’t want to get hit in the head. But I thought to myself, I’m playing Henrik Lundqvist. I could hit it as hard as I possibly could and he can knock it off like it was nothing.’’
McEnroe has attended two home games in each of the first two rounds with his daughters.
“My daughters are getting super into it,’’ McEnroe said. “That tells you something. It’s catching on. I think they’re going to win it all. I know the Devils are tough but I’m psyched. Henrik’s a great guy. I would be absolutely awesome if these guys won the Cup this year.’’





Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/mcenroe_picks_pal_rangers_to_win_IVYu97sXmMKSLeN6pmC4FO#ixzz1uymxXNFt

Henrik Lundqvist Post-Game Video Interview






Henrik Lundqvist turned aside all 21 shots he faced to post his fifth career playoff shutout, and his second shutout of these playoffs. He is now tied for third in franchise history in playoff shutouts, along with Ed Giacomin and John Ross Roach, and passed Dave Kerr for second on the Rangers all-time in total shutouts with 48 in his career (43 regular season, five playoff). Lundqvist improved to 24-26 overall in the playoffs, including a 14-11 mark at home. He currently leads all NHL goalies with a 1.57 goals against average, is tied for first in wins (nine) and shutouts (two), and ranks third with a .940 save percentage in postseason action.


Brodeur Stole Glove Style From Lundqvist



Q: Describe your goaltending style.


A: It’s more of a hybrid style. I kind of steal stuff from everybody to a certain extent. I look at goalies, I’m a student of the game, I love the game. I’m going to look at [Henrik] Lundqvist play. I’m going to look at [Roberto] Luongo play. I look at Patrick Roy or Domenik Hasek or [John] Vanbiesbrouck or name it. And if I see something that I really like in what they do and I think it’s really effective, I’ll go out and I’ll try to put it in my game. ... I’m learning every day. This year, I probably changed more little things that probably nobody would notice.


Q: What have you picked up from Lundqvist?


A: A little bit about the way he puts his gloves up. When a guy comes on you in different angles, he’s holding his glove a certain way that I never understood really why, and I looked at him in shootouts, and nobody could ever beat him on that side for whatever reason. So I went in practice and I was holding the glove in similar fashion, not for breakaways, for a different reason, I was getting beat a lot in certain shots.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/devils/serby_sunday_with_martin_brodeur_yoDaibEqFmGRvHdEvDVVcM#ixzz1ujLFjg00


Time For Lundqvist vs. Brodeur


NEW YORK -- If this NHL season is going to end the way 1994 did, with a New York championship, it's absolutely perfect -- even mandatory -- that Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers would now find the New Jersey Devils sitting there, waiting for them in the Eastern Conference finals. Because in so many ways, Lundqvist has become who Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur used to be -- the best goalkeeper in the world, the most important player on a team with real Stanley Cup aspirations, and the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy that signifies the best keeper in the NHL.


But until Saturday night, when Lundqvist was again sensational in making the Rangers' Game 7 victory over the Washington Capitals stand up before a rollicking Madison Square Garden crowd that was living, dying, shrieking and gasping at nearly every shot -- "I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous, too," Lundqvist laughed -- Lundqvist had no real claim to authoring the sort of playoff folklore that that beloved '94 team of Messier and Matteau, Leetch and Richter wrote once upon a time.


"This is so big for me, so big for our team, so big for our fans," Henrik Lundqvist said.
Until Saturday, Lundqvist still had one galling asterisk on his NHL career: The Rangers had never been out of the second round of the playoffs in his seven seasons. And he knew this year, of all years, had to be different.


The Rangers led the NHL in points until the last week of the season. They finished as the top seed in the Eastern Conference.


Had they lost to the seventh-seeded Capitals after seeing eighth-seeded Ottawa push them to seven games as well, no one could have said it was Lundqvist's fault. He played superbly throughout the Washington series, and he was spectacular again Saturday -- never moreso than during a breathtaking stretch midway through the second period when the Garden crowd started roaring Lundqvist's first name ("HEN-RIK! HEN-RIK!") after he stoned the Capitals again and again, though they controlled the puck for more than a minute in the Rangers' end, pelting Lundqvist with shots, often with Alex Ovechkin or someone else parked in front of his net.


It felt like a power play. It was not. It was pure desperation driving the Capitals. And every time, Lundqvist was up to it.


"He saved us," Rangers forward Carl Hagelin raved.


"This is so big for me, so big for our team, so big for our fans," Lundqvist said.


It was Lundqvist's best moment of the playoffs, hands down. And don't be surprised if it only gets better. Lundqvist has a remarkable head-to-head record of 23-7-5 against Brodeur, which is as good a yardstick as any of how terrific Lundqvist has been since he hit New York.


The Rangers' metamorphosis from the soft, overpaid teams that missed the playoffs seven consecutive seasons to a franchise that's now been in the postseason five of the last six years started when Lundqvist showed up in 2005-06 from Sweden. But once they got to the playoffs, something always seemed to go wrong. Injuries hit. Or their defense deserted them. Often, Lundqvist was so overworked during the regular season, he was playing on fumes by the time the playoffs arrived.


Not this year. And not Saturday night.


"I felt sharp, like I was really seeing the puck," Lundqvist said.


Now he heads into uncharted personal territory. He may have Brodeur's number in their head-to-head showdowns, but Brodeur already has his name on the Stanley Cup three times.


All the reminiscing that's going to take place in the next week about the '94 border war between the Rangers and Devils -- The Guarantee that Mark Messier made stand up with a third-period hat trick after the Rangers fell behind by a goal in Game 6, or Stephane Matteau's wraparound goal in double overtime that beat Brodeur and sent the Rangers winging into the finals -- is all just second-hand news to Lundqvist. He was only 12 and still living in his native Sweden back then. And Brodeur was a rookie sensation in the NHL, not a man pushing 40 and constantly beating back retirement questions at the end of every season now.


"It was hard to watch the NHL playoffs back then, and being 12, I didn't get to sit up in the middle of the night," Lundqvist said. "But I've watched some of [the Devils'] games in these playoffs. They're a really good team. ... We've played each other a lot of times. So, there's no secrets, really."


Lundqvist is going to find there's again no place for him to hide, either, even if he's already erased one asterisk by getting to the conference finals.


This team is often so offensively challenged, Lundqvist is going to have to carry the Rangers the way Brodeur was once carried the Devils, and the way Messier once lit up the Garden every shift he took. And judging from the way Lundqvist played Saturday night, and then the way he talked afterward, he feels energized by the challenge still ahead. Not cowed by it.


Someone asked him if it was going to be difficult to turn around and play again so soon on Monday, knowing the Devils will have been resting for six days by then. Lundqvist said, "I don't think it's going to be hard. I'm looking forward to it -- not only being in the conference finals, but playing the Devils."


Get ready to wake up the echoes. Get ready for Lundqvist vs. Brodeur.


Lundqvist missed that last hockey war along the Hudson.


But he sounds like a man hungry to make some Stanley Cup history of his own.



http://espn.go.com/new-york/nhl/story/_/id/7924532/2012-stanley-cup-playoffs-get-ready-new-york-rangers-versus-newjersey-devils



Friday, May 11, 2012

10% Off All Lundqvist Shirts This Weekend





Skreened.com is offering a 10% off discount on all their shirts until this Sunday at midnight. If you haven't already purchased a "Keep Calm We Have Lundqvist", or "The Most Interesting Goalie in the World" shirt, you can now do so for 10% less! You just have to add the code TEETIME as you checkout. Get your shirt (s) today!




PS: Share this offer with your friends as well!

http://skreened.com/hlundqvistblog/keep-calm-we-have-lundqvist

http://skreened.com/hlundqvistblog/the-most-interesting-goalie-in-the-world

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Henrik Lundqvist Varvet Magazine Scans (2010)








Thank you goes out to Tove for finding this magazine for me! I appreciate it. Also, if anyone out there can translate this, I'd be incredibly grateful.







Henrik "Hope" Lundqvist



The above image was sent to me by a reader, Thomas. Thanks for submitting it to the blog, Thomas. I really like it.






The NYPD Loves Henrik Lundqvist



Evidently Henrik was pulled over by a member of the NYPD today in Manhattan. Someone posted the above photo on Twitter.  I don't know why he was pulled over, but the thing I noticed right away is that he seems to be driving a white car. It even looks like an SUV. I'm assuming he got a new car to prepare for life with a baby. I guess there will be no car seat in the Maserati and Lamborghini.




Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Henrik Lundqvist Maxim Interview



How many guitars do you own?
Thirteen or something. My parents bought me my first when I was nine. It was a Cort. I still have it. My brother played the bass and my sister played the drums, so we played a lot.


You were like the Swedish Partridge Family! Which are your most prized axes?
For me it’s not about buying really expensive guitars. I have different ones for different sounds. I have a Gibson Les Paul Classic and a Fender Telecaster that I really like.


Who is your guitar god?
My sister loved Guns n’ Roses and my mom loved Eric Clapton, so Slash and Clapton were two of my favorites growing up.


Would you trade your goaltending skills for their guitar skills?
Oh, that’s a tough one. I really enjoy playing music. I’m never relaxed when I play hockey!


Any other musical Rangers?
No. Brian Boyle, well, likes to sing after a couple of beers.


You recently played a charity concert with John McEnroe. You rocked harder, but he had better guitar faces.
He’s a funny guy. Guitar faces—yeah, I need to work on that.


http://www.maxim.com/music/henrik-lundqvist-rocks-out